One day in the summer of '63, Ed got called away from what he was doing. A strange, gangly bird was trapped in a backyard pen, and he was supposed to help his Dad set it free.

When close in hand, the crow-sized critter was ornate and colorful, not to mention pretty annoyed. With the help of a book his grandmother had given him, Ed identified it as a Green Heron, and set out into the woods and fields to see if there were other critters he’d been missing!

Ed also drew as a kid and would like to take this moment to thank his parents for being very praiseful of his artistic efforts--although at the same time they made the mistake of spending good money on clarinet lessons for the musically ungifted child!

With the praise Ed felt somewhat confident about his artistic ability, but he remained adamant about not wanting to get too involved with art. He remembers watching a particularly beautiful sunset over Miller Mountain, near Scranton, PA. in 1961, and deciding that any attempt to capture the scene would be futile, since the beauty obviously was caught up in the moment.

Twenty years later, with his hope of becoming a journalist fading, Ed began to change his tune. He bought some brushes and canvas and pretty soon he was painting obsessively in his spare time.

In 1983 Ed quit his job & began publishing and selling his prints at Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Ed paints in acrylic or gouache, freehand, wet-on-dry, relying on as many photos as possible, and always using a mirror to help with perspective.

Ed’s paintings have now appeared on the cover of Bird Watcher’s Digest, in four other national magazines & two books. They also grace four of the maps put out by the Audubon Society under the title: The Great Washington State Birding Trail.

Ed believes in paying wildlife back for what it gives us. He has sponsored ads in the newspaper to increase awareness of the local extinction of the Common Nighthawk, has published posters advocating the purchase of shade-grown coffee & tries to give generously to selected conservation causes.

Ed owes a great debt of gratitude to his parents, his wife & companion Delia Scholes, and to all the many folks who stop by the store. It is the great ideas, feedback and positive energy from these wonderful people that cause Ed to keep trying to capture the beauty caught up in the great moments we are all so lucky to have on this earth.